Robbie Robertson’s new single

Former Woodstock resident and former guitarist for The Band, Robbie Robertson, will deliver his new single — “He Don’t Live Here No More” — to radio stations this week. Robertson will release his first album in more than 10 years on April 5. It’s called “How to be Clairvoyant” and it has a tune, quite interestingly enough, about his departure from The Band, called, “This is Where I Get Off.”

On the record, from a press release:

The initial sessions forHow To Become Clairvoyant took place in London, where Robertson recorded with Clapton, keyboard legend Steve Winwood, bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Ian Thomas. Midway through, he was tapped by director Martin Scorsese to work on the music for Shutter Island. The break gave him some clarity and, when he resumed recording in Los Angeles, the album became even more guitar-oriented. There he invited a new generation of players to join him on his musical journey – Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave), who guests on “Axman,” and Robert Randolph, who plays pedal steel guitar on the title track and “Straight Down The Line.”

“Robert is extraordinary, a high-wire act,” observes Robertson. “And I was so impressed when Tom performed ‘Tom Joad’ with Bruce Springsteen at the Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary concert. He gets amazing noises out of his guitar.”

In addition, he asked Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor to collaborate on the cinematic soundscape “Madame X.” “Trent has musical instincts that are unpredictable and haunting,” notes Robertson. Vocalists Angela McCluskey, Rocco Deluca, Dana Glover and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) are also featured on the album. With an eye on the rear view mirror, Robertson forges ahead, fusing the contemporary and the classic to create his most personal work yet – How To Become Clairvoyant.

Here’s more about the song from a press release:

“He Don’t Live Here No More” is a riveting firsthand look at the temptations endemic to the rock and roll lifestyle.

“It was a lifestyle of the time that most of my friends went through. Some came out the other side, and for some, the train ran off the tracks.”

“A lot of the making of this record was very experimental,” says Robertson, who co-produced the album with long-time collaborator Marius de Vries (Massive Attack, Bjork, Rufus Wainwright). “We were not coloring inside the lines. Musically and lyrically, I went to unexpected places.”

“This is Where I Get Off,” according to the press release, “marks the first time he’s publicly addressed his decision to leave The Band: